Write@Home
Winter 2015

Celebration

blurred image of bride and groom at alter

Weddings in my country Egypt have a different ceremony. First of all, the families of the bride and groom have to agree together about the cost of the wedding. Most of the time, the groom's family bear the cost of the wedding but sometimes the both families share these costs. Also, they agree on a date for the wedding and all of the procedures many months before. Once all of this is completed, they are ready for the big day.

In our culture, the bride and groom have to dress very formal on this day. The bride has to go to the hairdresser from morning until the time of the wedding and often she wears a white dress. Regarding the guest's clothes, it depends on the social level of the wedding but generally in most cases they wear formal clothes, too.

The ceremony lasts from around 7pm until 1 or 2 am. The food that will be offered to the guests depends on the agreement mentioned above. I can say that most of the time it is an open buffet.

Moreover, there has to be Arabic music and special dancing where all the friends of the bride and groom make circles around them. After the celebration finishes, the bride and groom move to their new apartment. Some wealthier people even go to spend their honeymoon in another place for up to one month.

Overall, weddings in Egypt are a considerably complicated process. Everything has to be prepared well before the day and cooperation between families is very essential.